Blood collector device

ABSTRACT

A tube for use in the automatic collection of a digital blood sample has its mouth fitted with a resilient detachable funnel member which can carry a capillary cannula and in which is held an absorbent annular plug through which pass and project two incisor lancets.

United States Patent [72] Inventors Manuel Sanz Grand-Lancy, Geneva;Georges Revillet, Petit-Lancy, Geneva, both of Switzerland [21] Appl.No. 843,096 [22] Filed July 18, 1969 [45] Patented Nov. 30, 1971 [73]Assignee Micromedlcsystems, Inc.

Philadelphia, Pa.

[ 54] BLOOD COLLECTOR DEVICE 8 Claims, 13 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 128/2 R, l28/D1G. 5, 128/276, 128/253 [51] Int.Cl A6lb5/l4[50] Field of Search a 128/2, 275, 253, 314, 315, 333, 276, D16. 5

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,063,451 11/1962 Kowalk128/221 3,134,380 5/1964 Armao 128/253 UX 3,322,121 5/1967 Banker128/253 3,369,708 2/1968 Hein 128/253 UX 3,433,216 3/1969 Mattson 128/2FOREIGN PATENTS 84,897 7/1921 Austria 128/D1G. 5 771,890 8/1934 France128/276 412,124 6/1934 Great Britain 128/333 1,080,986 8/1967 GreatBritain 128/253 Primary Examiner-Richard A. Gaudet AssistantExaminerl(yle L. Howell AnorneysGeorge W. F. Simmons, Arthur R.Eglington and Gerry J. Elman ABSTRACT: A tube for use in the automaticcollection of a digital blood sample has its mouth fitted with aresilient detachable funnel member which can carry a capillary cannulaand in which is held an absorbent annular plug through which pass andproject two incisor lancets.

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PATENTED NOV 3 0 I971 SHEET 2 BF 3 in a test tube, in a capillary tube,or by suction into a tube.

These different stages in the taking of a blood sample are usuallycarried out by qualified personnel who are now becoming more and morescarce.

It is therefore evident that considerable advantages would ensue fromthe provision of apparatus permitting a blood sample to be takenautomatically by the subject and without the necessity of anyintervention by a specialist personnel.

An object of the invention is to contribute to the creation of suchapparatus and with this object in mid, the invention provides a devicefor collecting a percutaneous digital blood sam- In the accompanyingdiagrammatic drawings:

FIG. I is a sectional elevation of a first form of embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the method of making an incision;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view ofa detail ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional elevation of a second embodiment; FIG. Sis asectional elevation ofa second embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a part view of the tube used in FIG. filled with blood;

FIGS. 7 and 8 show the tube used in FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a sectional elevation ofa fourth embodiment; and

FIGS. 10 to 13 are diagrammatic sectional views, in different operatingpositions, of various parts of an automatic blood sampling apparatusmaking use ofa device of the kind shown in FIGS. 1 to 9.

The device shown in FIG. I of the drawing comprises a tubular body 1 ofa transparent or translucent material, for extwo differentconstructional forms for groove 5 forming a passage which allows air toescape as the tubular body 1 is being filled with blood.

At the lower end of plug 2 there projects a capillary cannula 6extending nearly to the bottom of the body 1, coaxial with said body andforming an extension of an axial passage in the plug 2.

posite sides of a slot 9 in said plate.

Above the plate 7 in the cup 4 is arranged an annular pad 10 ofabsorbent material, for example, blotting paper, and held in The part ofthe lancets 8a and 8b that projects above the pad 10 has a length of atleast 2 to 3 mm.; these lancets may extend further but not beyond thelevel of the upper rim of cup 4.

The lancets 8a and 8b are intended to form the cutaneous incisions thathave to be made for taking a blood sample (FIG. 2) and it is clearlynecessary that these incisions should be sufficiently deep to reachblood vessels of some importance. The actual procedure for obtaining ablood sample will be described below with reference to FIGS. 10 to 13.

The device shown in FIG. 5 differs from that shown in FIG.

carry a cannula 6, and secondly in that the air in the tubular body 1 isdischarged through a passage 1] formed in and coaxially with the base ofthe body 1. This passage 11 passes through a tubular element 12 which isintegral with the body 1 its wall is crushed by means which can betightened as by crimping (FIG. 6).

By way of modification, when the body 1 or at least part of the tubularelement 12 is of thermoplastic material, the passage 11 can be closedoff by partial fusion of the element 12 (FIG. 7).

point and low elasticity, the by the insertion of a simple stopper 13A(FIG. 8), preferably of compressible material.

The FIG. 9 embodiment differs from that shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 4, inthat the lancets, here identified 14a and 14b, that are provided in thecup 4 are integral with the upper end of the axial passage of plug 2,the lancets and the cannula 15 forming a single metallic body, forexample of stainless steel.

FIGS. 10 to 13 illustrate one form of automatic blood sampling apparatusmaking use of the kind of device shown in FIGS. 1 to 9.

This apparatus comprises a casing 16 of rectangular section in the upperleft hand part of which, as seen in FIG. 10, is pivotably mounted at 17a lever 18 having two parallel arms 18a of which only one can be seen,connected together by a common part 18b covered on its internal surfacewith a pad of synthetic sponge 19, each arm 18a extending through a slot16a provided in the left hand face and the upper face of casing 16.

The free end of each arm and the positions of their pivotal points aresuch that the paths of the tip of beak 18c and the tip of lever 25intersect one another over a defined length.

Levers 25 bears on the head 29 of a to the action of a spring 31 andslidably mounted in a hole Between the tubular member 32 and the slot16a, the apparatus casing 16 carries a fixed block 33 of trapezoidalsection and acting as an aid for correctly positioning on the apparatusa finger from which a blood sample is to be taken.

On the same face of the apparatus casing 16, on the side of member 32opposite block 33, there projects, through a slot I611, a massagingblock 34 mounted at the end of a lever 35 pivoted at 36 on a link 37rigid with a shaft 38 which by means of a motor (not shown) can berotatably driven in an anticlockwise direction as seen in the drawing.As shown in FIG. 1 l, the position of the block 34 on the casing issuchthat when the subject from whom a blood sample is to be taken places oneof his fingers on the block 33 and lever 18 has been swung down, the pad19 of lever 18 comes to bear on the part of the finger opposite block34.

When a blood sample is about to be taken, the various parts of theapparatus described occupy the positions shown in FIG. 10.

A blood collector device E is then placed within the tubular member 32and pushed until its funnel member is flush with the upper opening ofsaid member.

The subject then lays his hand on the upper face of easing I6 and placesthe finger to be bled on the massage block 34 with the tip of the fingeragainst the locating block 33 in such a way that the distal part of thefinger underlying the nail rests on the rim of the funnel member, asshown in FIG. 11. The area of the finger where the incisions are to bemade will, of course, have been previously cleaned and disinfected in anappropriate manner.

All that is then required is to swing lever 18 downwards to bring itinto the locked position shown in FIGS. 12. and 13 in order for thenecessary incisions to be made in the epidermis of the finger from whicha blood sample has to be taken, since this movement of lever 18 causesthe beak 180 to bear on lever 25, thereby depressing the latter tocompress spring 31, this cooperation between beak 18c and levercontinuing as long as the curvilinear paths of their tips intersect oneanother FIG. 1 l

When these two paths cease to intersect, lever 25 is freed fromengagement with beak 18c and then suddenly finds itself subjected to thesole action of the compressed spring 31 which pushes it abruptly againstthe base of the tubular body of the blood collector device E (FIG. 12).

This body is then correspondingly pushed in the direction of the finger,causing it to slide within the tubular member 32 and to deform the cup 4of the funnel member 3 (FIG. 2) on which the finger tip bears, and henceto drive the lancets 8a and 8b into the latter to produce the requiredincisions of the epidermis and dermis.

As soon as the kinetic energy communicated to the tubular body of theblood collector device by percussionhas been dissipated, partly bydeformation of cup 4 and partly by the formation of the incision, thetubular body of the blood collector device is urged back to the loweredposition shown in FIG. 13 under the action of the cup 4 which acts as aresilient return member upon resuming its original shape. As the tips ofthe lancets extend at most to the level of the rim of cup 4 when thelatter is not deformed, the lancets will clearly be completely withdrawnfrom the incisions they have made when the cup resumes its position ofrest so that it is then possible to proceed to collect a blood samplewithout the subject feeling any impediment or pain.

To obtain a blood sample, shaft 38 is set in rotation and this rotationimparts an eccentric movement to lever 35 and consequently an undulatorymovement to the massage block 34, alternately towards the stationaryblock 33 during an ascending phase and in the opposite direction duringa descending phase (FIG. 13).

As the finger of the subject is gripped between the pad 19 and the block34, this undulatory movement of the block 34 can only take place bycyclically compressing the underside of the finger from the rear towardsthe front thereby performing a massage of the digital tissue and hence aperiodic flow of blood towards the percutaneous incisions.

The blood issuing from these incisions flows first into cup 4 (FIG. 1)and then through cannula 6 into the tubular body I, the air in this bodyescaping through groove 5 as filling proceeds.

It is to be noted that the first few drops of blood entering the cup arenot collected in the tubular body 1 but are absorbed by the absorbentpaper pad 10, as these drops of blood contain a very high proportion ofphysiological liquid which originates from the subcutaneous cells andwhich is clearly undesirable in a blood sample.

Thus it is only when the pad 10 ha been sufiiciently impregnated with amixture of physiological liquid and blood, that the blood issuing fromthe finger will be more suitable for sampling and it is this blood thatwill flow into the tubular body 1. In this connection it is to be notedthat the lancets considerably facilitate this flow because, althoughremoved from the epidermis they lie directly opposite the incisions andare at a very short distance from them so that the drops of bloodissuing from the incisions fall on and are ruptured by the tips of thelancets and then flow rapidly over the surface of the latter into thecannula 6. The lancets thus play the part of effective collectorspreventing the formation of a thick blood dispersion in the cup 4.

The massage performed by the movement of the block 4 is, of course,interrupted when the blood in the tubular body 1 reaches a desiredlevel.

At that point the relay 23 is energized to release lever 18 which thenfrees the finger. The filled blood collector device E is then manuallyremoved from the tubular member 32, whereupon the funnel member 3 andassociated cannula 6 are removed from the tubular body 1. The latter isthen closed by a suitable stopper in order to prevent coagulation of theblood collected, in particular when it is not to be subjected to animmediate examination.

We claim:

I. A device for collecting a percutaneous digital blood samplecomprising a tubular body fixedly closed at one end and open at theother end and adapted to collect the blood, a funnel member having aresilient funnel portion and a discharge end comprising an annularportion with a passage therethrough and engaged at its discharge end inthe open end of said body and supported by an annular zone of itslateral surface on the rim of said open end, a mass of absorbentmaterial located within said funnel portion, and at least one incisorlancet in said funnel portion projecting through and beyond said massand located wholly within said funnel member and means associated withsaid funnel member to allow air entrapped within said body to vent.

2. A device according to claim I, and including a capillary tube formingan extension of said annular portion and extending to a locationadjacent the closed end of the tubular body.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein one end of the capillary tubeis located within the passage in said annular portion, and is integralwith said lancet 4. A device according to claim 2, wherein the capillarytube is integral with the funnel portion.

5. A device according to claim 1 and including a base plate supported ina lower part of said funnel portion, the lancet being integral with saidbase plate.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein the means for allowingentrapped air to vent comprises a passage located in a lower part of thebody and communicating with a tubular element integral with said lowerpart and projecting beyond said part, said device further comprising aclosure means for closing said element.

7. A device according to claim 1, wherein the funnel member is securedin a fluidtight manner within the open end of the tubular body and saidmeans for allowing air to vent comprising a passage located in theperiphery of said annular portion and the base of said funnel portion.

8. A device as in claim 1 wherein said annular portion is constructed ofresilient material and is integral with said funnel portion.

1. A device for collecting a percutaneous digital blood samplecomprising a tubular body fixedly closed at one end and open at theother end and adapted to collect the blood, a funnel member having aresilient funnel portion and a discharge end comprising an annularportion with a passage therethrough and engaged at its discharge end inthe open end oF said body and supported by an annular zone of itslateral surface on the rim of said open end, a mass of absorbentmaterial located within said funnel portion, and at least one incisorlancet in said funnel portion projecting through and beyond said massand located wholly within said funnel member and means associated withsaid funnel member to allow air entrapped within said body to vent.
 2. Adevice according to claim 1, and including a capillary tube forming anextension of said annular portion and extending to a location adjacentthe closed end of the tubular body.
 3. A device according to claim 2,wherein one end of the capillary tube is located within the passage insaid annular portion, and is integral with said lancet.
 4. A deviceaccording to claim 2, wherein the capillary tube is integral with thefunnel portion.
 5. A device according to claim 1 and including a baseplate supported in a lower part of said funnel portion, the lancet beingintegral with said base plate.
 6. A device according to claim 1, whereinthe means for allowing entrapped air to vent comprises a passage locatedin a lower part of the body and communicating with a tubular elementintegral with said lower part and projecting beyond said part, saiddevice further comprising a closure means for closing said element.
 7. Adevice according to claim 1, wherein the funnel member is secured in afluidtight manner within the open end of the tubular body and said meansfor allowing air to vent comprising a passage located in the peripheryof said annular portion and the base of said funnel portion.
 8. A deviceas in claim 1 wherein said annular portion is constructed of resilientmaterial and is integral with said funnel portion.